Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society

Alpha Eta Chi named a Top 100 Chapter

Passaic County Community College won 19 international and regional awards at the 2016 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) International Honor Society Convention, known as NerdNation, held last April in National Harbor, Maryland.

For the first time, Alpha Eta Chi, the PCCC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, was listed among the Top 100 Chapters internationally and was also named fourth in the USA’s Middle States region.

Chapter members, faculty advisor Professor Jennifer Gasparino, and PCCC President Dr. Steven Rose also received individual awards, and several PCCC members won prestigious scholarships. (see complete list of awards below)

“It was the first time PCCC won so many awards at a PTK convention and the first time we won any personal awards,” said Miguel De Jesus, president of Alpha Eta Chi, who took home a Distinguished Chapter Officer Award and was named to the Chapter Officer Hall of Fame, both distinctions reflecting his strong and innovative leadership over the past year.

“It was really great for PCCC,” said Miguel who was motivated to raise the chapter’s profile when he attended the convention in prior years. “I would see other chapters receiving these awards and wanted to see it for PCCC, too” he said. Miguel, who graduated May 19, also congratulated his fellow chapter members for their hard work and Professor Gasparino for her support. “We really worked as a team to make this happen,” he said.

PCCC also reached Five-Star Chapter status, an honor based on both the achievements of members and the projects implemented at PCCC to enhance student success. Among those was the C-4 College Completion, an initiative encouraging students to complete their degree in four years.

Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society for two-year colleges. The organization offers members scholarship opportunities as well as travel, leadership, and networking opportunities.